Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cayenne. Add shredded cheeses, then work in well with your fingers. Add the cold butter. Quickly rub butter into flour mixture with fingers until mixture resembles the texture of oatmeal with some large marble-size pieces.

Stir in the heavy cream; add buttermilk and stir just until absorbed. Dough will be chunky and dry at this point. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Using your hand, press and kneed into a cohesive dough. (This will take a bit of pressure. Fear not, this is a sturdy, forgiving dough, not a fluffy light one.)

Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. With a fork dipped in flour, prick evenly spaced holes all over the dough. Stamp out 2 1/2-inch rounds, and place about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheet. Gather dough pieces, re-roll, cut out, and place on baking sheet. (At this stage the biscuits can be lightly covered and refrigerated for 1 hour before baking.)

Bake biscuits for 16 to 18 minutes, until well browned, rotating pan if needed to ensure even browning. Cool slightly before serving. (To reheat biscuits, warm them at 350 degrees F for 3 to 5 minutes.)

From the Test Kitchen

Store baked biscuits at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze them up to 1 month. Remove biscuits from freezer and thaw at room temperature. Reheat for 3 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees F.